Weekly Memo for Aug. 28-Sept. 4

The turn of Labor Day brings renewed activism. Making Maryland better – more in tune with ordinary people and their/our real needs, less controlled by big moneyed interests – is a big piece of making the nation and the world better.

Let’s keep going.

Welcome to the Weekly Memo for August 28-September 4

Labor Day is dismissed by purists as a business-unionist distraction from May Day, which is celebrated as the annual worker holiday in most other parts of the world. But it is ours, our national labor holiday, and also happens to be a useful end-beginning gateway for seasonal change, with summer doldrums giving way to the feverish activities of school and, well, renewed resistance and work for positive change.

We have lots to do in Maryland and the Fall is when the savvy get to work on a legislative agenda for the General Assembly 2018 session. January may seem far away, but the prepared get the advantage. Making Maryland better – more in tune with ordinary people and their/our real needs, less controlled by big moneyed interests – is a big piece of making the nation and the world better.

Progressive Prince George's is looking for volunteers to participate in the Greenbelt Labor Day Festival Parade -Monday, September 4th from 10am-noon. The parade route is along Crescent Road, from Greenhill Road to Southway. We need approximately 10 to 15 people.

We are looking for a point person for each County Council District. This team will mobilize when needed to advocate with their councilperson on a progressive issue, or to support new candidates for the office. If you are interested in this, please reach to Diane Teichert, County Council Lead revdteichert@gmail.com.

Sunday, September 10thSeptember Meeting and Potluck at 1:15 p.m. Please join us for our September General Meeting and potluck. Alongside normal business we will be participating in an LGBTQ Ally Training led by transgender activist James VK, view a screening of TransMilitary, a short film about transgender service members, and having a potluck lunch. Please bring some food to share. Agenda forthcoming.) C. Burr Artz Public Library - Community Room in Frederick, MD rsvp

Tuesday, Aug. 29Health Care is a Human Right Prince George’s chapter meets, 7:30 p.m, Riverdale Park Town Hall at 5053 Queensbury Road. Topics include logistics for the Greenbelt Labor Day Festival (we will have a table on information day, Saturday, Sept. 2) and participate in the parade; and an Update on Medicare for All activism over the summer.

It all happens for free… right? Not exactly. Organizing for change in our society and our high-maintenance politics requires both people and money. Keep change moving with a quick, secure impulse-buy contribution here.

Reading the Progressive Maryland BlogSpace: our blogs for the previous week are shown below, but if you want a handy way to keep track – and never miss a blog post – you can sign up to get this Weekly Memo by email. Remember this is your blogspace and your participation is heartily invited. See something going on that you don’t like – or that you do like and hope to see more of? Send us your thoughts; submit to the moderator at woodlanham@gmail.com

Donald Trump is getting away with many flip-flops on his promises to the working-class constituents who pushed him over the top, studies show. But progressive and Democratic leadership have to make that case forcefully in order to reclaim the mantle of the peace and prosperity forces; it won't happen automatically, Hal Ginsberg asserts.

Maryland is staying in a strengthened multistate pact to reduce greenhouse gases in electric power generation. It's a compromise, but much better than sulkily pulling out. The pact has been (mostly) holding together for many years and “The [RGGI] program has a track record of cutting emissions fairly painlessly across a densely populated section of the country,” observes Inside Climate News.

"For Progressive Maryland and its parent Peoples' Action, our low and middle income neighbors are our primary constituents. We need to make an effort to bring these groups into the political process and to help them advocate for themselves," Howard County activist Dave Bazell reminds us.

Residents of the Port Towns communities in Prince George's County are fighting the siting of a concrete batching plant in Bladensburg near Peace Cross, threatening the Anacostia River and the health of residents in the viciinity. Today, Tuesday August 22, they go before the Zoning Hearing Examiner at 9 a.m. to fight for the right of communities to control development in their own backyards.

Welcome to the Progressive Maryland Weekly Memo for August 21-29. Lots going on, including the health care fight, leadership development opportunities, letting Larry Hogan know he has to listen to more than big donors – he should speak out on protecting Maryland’s health care and pushing back against the white supremacist elements that Trump appears to condone -- plus community struggles like the concrete plant being foisted on the Port Towns of Prince George’s, and much more at chapters around the state. Dip in…

Keeping up with the blogs is easier with the index. The blogs published in the PM BlogSpace since June 2015 are all available with descriptions and links here.